If you have seen One Energy’s office at the North Findlay Wind Campus, you know that much of the wall space is covered in magnets. There are hundreds of One Energy magnets and magnets with our turbine logo, and in the mix you can find individually chosen magnets people picked up somewhere along the way. There’s also a pretty good collection of plastic letters – the kind you use on the kitchen refrigerator to teach little kids the alphabet.
In the mix of random letters, you’ll find the occasional word or phrase someone has put together. For example, one refrigerator in the kitchen says “snacks” and one says “dranks” – I assume because no one searched hard enough to find an “i”! And it’s entirely possible there’s a word or two that you wouldn’t want to be teaching your little kids on your own kitchen refrigerator – but hey, it’s One Energy.
The other day, I collected the letters I needed to put “WE COUNT” on the front of my desk. As Head of Accounting, that seemed appropriate. Someone asked if the double meaning was intentional – YES, of course it was! We’re in the Accounting Department where we count stuff all the time. But also, what we do counts. Our work matters in the grand scheme of operating a business, both in terms of compiling information that tells the story of where we have been, and of using that information to create a vision of where we want to be and the path we can use to get there. And in most cases, the compilation of that information is critical to the ability to obtain the financing needed to travel that path and to achieve those goals. In other words, counting counts!
In a building filled with magnetic walls, I can easily use magnets to remind my team of how valuable they are. In fact, I was able to find some very appropriate ones to give out during the holidays. While I hope they already know how important they are, the visual reminder certainly helps – and I hope it makes them smile of even laugh out loud in the midst of a challenging day.
It’s important to make the most of our opportunities to let people know they matter. Recently, I lost my aunt to complications of a brain tumor. I was fortunate to have the chance to tell her in recent weeks how influential she had been in my life, how much she mattered to me and to my kids. I let her know that she counts – then, now, and always. While relationships with my team members are of course different from those with family, the same idea applies.
We have all had influential people in our lives who have encouraged and supported us on our journey. People who taught us, mentored us, and acted as our role models. People who challenged us and inspired us. People who contributed to the core of who we are, what we do, and how we do it. Take a moment – while the moment is still available – to tell them that they count.
Anne Bain is the Head of Accounting at One Energy.
